Second Down Love: A Second Chance Sports Romance

by Kara Hart

  I was never a commitment sort of guy, but after I hear those words, I’m pumping her as if a gun is pointed at my skull. I can feel the pressure building inside of me. Soon, I’m bound to set it all free. “Fuck,” I groan loudly. The bed creaks and she throws her hands over my mouth in an attempt to keep me quiet. Her eyes are wide and she knows exactly what’s about to happen.

  “You’re on the pill, right?” I ask her. She rolls her eyes and looks at me like I’m an idiot. I suddenly feel pretty damn stupid for asking so late in the game and it doesn’t even matter because I’m about to blow.

  “Yes,” she says nodding her pretty little head. It’s already coming. I’m cumming, bursting forth within her.

  “Here it comes,” I whisper. My whole life flashes in front of my eyes and I grab her and pull her close to me. She wraps those arms around my body and kisses my neck as she feels the warm fluid shoot in large bullet-like bursts. I spill my seed and everything turns white. I fall back and she pushes against me, forcing me inside deeper. It ends when she says it ends.

  I’m shaking when I pull my cock out and I undo the belt around her wrists. Instead of being finished, she takes my cum and spreads it around her lips. She starts playing with herself again, and builds herself up. “Uhhh,” she moans, biting her lower lip. “Hunter. Oh, Hunter…”

  I’m surprised as hell. I lean over her and kiss her deeply, sliding my tongue into the back of her throat. Our tongues wrestle against each other, but when she slows down, I know she’s about to cum. I cup her tits one last time and she arches her back out, screaming into that pillow of hers. “Hunter! Hunter!”

  Her eyelids close tightly and I pull my lips away. Her whole body writhes against the bed sheets. I kiss her ass as she comes back down. “Wow,” I say, speechless. “That was… something.”

  “Do me a favor,” she wipes a small bead of sweat from her forehead. She’s completely out of breath.

  “Anything for you, darling,” I laugh.

  “Leave now,” she says, joking. Her smile tells me we’re okay. At least, we are for now.

  Bianca

  “So,” he kisses my butt tenderly, cupping my cheeks with his hand. “Are we cool?”

  “For now,” I smile and glance at his bulging muscles. Damn, he’s sexy. I know I shouldn’t give in to him, but it’s really hard not to. After all, I’m a girl with needs.

  “That’s cool,” he tells me, “I doubt I have much time left here anyway. What, with me coming and going, and all.”

  I slap his arm gently and shake my head. “Stop that, please. You’re going to live a long and prosperous life,” I tell him, kissing his stubbly cheek. “I promise you.”

  “You promise me?” he laughs. “Well then, I guess it’s a sure thing.”

  “Sure is,” I say. There’s a good amount of time where we’re both silent. It’s heavy, living this kind of life. I can tell it really weighs on him. For the first time on this trip, I really start to feel for him. I’m not sure what it is. I liked the guy before, but now his situation is all the more real.

  “Please be careful, Hunter,” I say. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “What?” he mutters. “You don’t want to lose me? Damn, you’re like in love with me now, huh?”

  “Shut up. I am not,” I tell him. “For the record, I don’t really believe in love.”

  He crawls above me and begins tickling me. “Stop!” I whisper-scream. “I hate being tickled!”

  He stops and sighs, “Bullshit, you don’t believe in love. A beautiful girl like you has to believe in love.”

  “Welp. I don’t,” I shrug. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Well, it’s a damn shame you don’t,” he says. “It’s a nice sentiment. Settling down and having kids… Coming home from work and seeing your family. Knowing you created that shit.”

  “Since when do you care about stuff like that?” I ask him. “You don’t strike me as a family type of guy.”

  “Yeah, well if you met me over a year ago, you might’ve been right,” he plays with my hair gently and breathes in deep. “But when you’re holed up by your lonesome for long enough, you start to think about things.”

  “Yeah? Like what?” I ask.

  He puts his hands behind his neck and leans back onto my bed. “I don’t know. I just wish I had another chance sometimes. I wish I could’ve been normal.”

  Looking at this broad-shouldered man become sad like he is breaks my heart. I kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry the world made you like this. But being normal ain’t cut out like you think.”

  “What do you mean? Sure it is,” he laughs. “Look at you. You have it all.”

  “I do not have it all,” I pat his chest.

  “You have me,” he smiles.

  “Ha, very funny,” I laugh. “I thought you were going to die.”

  “So we’re joking about that now?” he gives me a look. I squeeze his arms and fall back onto his chest. “I really mean it though. You have it made. You’ve got a loving father, a good education, and the ability to move around wherever you want. I’d kill to have that.”

  “You’re right. And I understand that I’m very lucky,” I admit, “but it’s not all a white-picket fence fantasy like you think. It’s life. It’s hard.”

  “Not as hard as it could be,” he says, turning very serious. “I’ve seen what it can be like. You’re extremely lucky.”

  We lay in silence, nearly falling asleep in each other’s arms. I wish he could just stay here like this forever. I wish we didn’t have to sneak around like this. I wish I could take him back to San Francisco and show him off to my friends. I want to show him my favorite, secret spots and to hold his hand while we sit in the park. Dammit, there’s just so much shit I want to do with him.

  “It’s not fair,” I suddenly say, staring at my ceiling.

  “What isn’t?” he groggily replies back.

  “It’s not fair that we can’t be together. Like, maybe you could be my boyfriend…” My eyes slowly rise up to his and I quickly look away, feeling embarrassed.

  “What was that, missy?” he smiles. I hate that I’ve even said anything.

  “Nothing. I didn’t say anything.” I shut my eyes tight and groan loudly.

  “No, I think you said you wanted me to be your boyfriend. I mean, go ahead and correct me if I’m wrong, but I could’ve sworn you said that,” he smiles like a total prick.

  “Don’t read into it, okay?” I look down at his thickness. He’s not even hard, yet he’s still so fucking big. I gulp down, feeling the click of saliva in the center of my throat. “Okay, I wouldn’t mind you staying for a while. That’s all I meant by that.”

  He laughs that deep chuckle that I love and I feel my heart start to flutter. I rest my hands against his chest. “I read you loud and clear, honey,” he says.

  “I… you… shit!” I say. “Whatever. It would just be nice to have some more time.”

  “It really would,” he whispers. “You’re a godsend, Bianca. Without you, I’d probably be nothing.”

  “I doubt that,” I blush.

  “I’m serious. Even if I die, I’ll be happy I met you. You’re special.”

  You’re special. “Thanks,” I smile. “I love that.”

  Hunter

  When she falls asleep, I let her down easy. I know it’s about time for me to go, so I slip out the window and run into the shadows. I have to admit, it’s time for me to face the facts. I don’t have much time left in the world. Even though I’d like to make the most of it, I know I’ll soon close my eyes and watch this world disappear.

  So I head back to my home: the gutter. This is where I was born. This is where I’ll die. I promised Bianca there wouldn’t be any more killing and I have to honor that, even if it means my passing. Shit, the stuff I do for love.

  I walk around the corner and I’m almost home, when I hear a rustle and a whisper. Wait, my intuition tells me, you might be on your last leg, but what’s the fun in
letting yourself get killed? Of course, there’s no reason to do that. I stop walking and duck behind a dumpster. In my view is a young kid, maybe mid-twenties. It’s hard to tell. In his hand is a pistol, but it’s not clear he knows what the fuck he’s doing.

  He’s pacing in circles and talking to himself. He keeps muttering “Stick to the plan. Just stick to the plan.” This is strange, but I’m not scared one bit. He’s a young punk who has no idea what he’s doing. Mainly, I can tell he’s looking for guidance. This is a call for help.

  “What are you waiting for? Aim and pull the trigger,” I say. He quickly turns around and aims the pistol, but I’m not there. If there’s one thing I’m good at now, it’s hiding well.

  His hand shakes and so does the pistol. Sweat drips down his neck. He turns wildly, yet no one is there. “Right behind you,” I say again.

  He turns around. “Show yourself, dammit,” he says, voice trembling. “Come out if you don’t want a bullet in your neck.”

  “You couldn’t aim to save your life, kid,” I laugh and jump from the top of the wall behind him. I slam my fist onto his pistol and quickly make sure the weapon is out of his hands. “Face me, punk. Fight me like a man.”

  He clenches his fists hard and winds up, as if he’s going to fight me. I quickly realize that this is Bianca’s brother, the one working for Ricky. He’s glancing at the gun, over and over again. Of course, when he sees that there’s no way of winning, he takes off running.

  “Not so fast,” I chase after him, a grown man running after a kid. It’s most likely a funny sight to watch. Nevertheless, it needs to be done. I tackle him into a pile of dirt and leaves and I have his wrists in my hands. “Make one false move and I snap both of your wrists. Got it?”

  “Get off me, you bastard!” he screams like a little boy. He seems to be on the verge of tears. He’s fucking terrified of me. So why in God’s name did he come to try and kill me?

  “Yeah, I am a bastard,” I say through clenched teeth. “You’ve got the right fucking idea. Now, why are you waiting for me?” I slam his back onto the dirt and keep him down, despite his constant struggling.

  “Let me go and I’ll tell you,” he squirms.

  “The only way I’m letting you go is if you’re dead and in need of a proper burial,” I say. “Now, get to talking.”

  I’ve got a knee slammed down on his chest. There’s no way he’s getting out of this one now. He takes a deep breath and I feel him give up finally. “I came to tell you to stay away from my sister.”

  I let up and lift him from the ground, making sure my gun is aimed straight at his heart. “You’re barking up the wrong tree,” I say. “I don’t know your sister.”

  “I heard you two talking last night. I know you’re seeing her,” he breathes fast and hurried, like he’s got some place to be. “Just stay away, alright?”

  “You’re too old to be caring about what your sister does behind closed doors. What’s your problem, son? What do you care what she does?” I ask him, staring steadily into his darkened eyes. He’s older, but he behaves like a child. He has no idea what it’s like to be a real man.

  “I don’t give a shit about what she does, so long as she stays away from you,” he says. “Look, take the gun off me. I’m unarmed. Let’s sit down like men and talk.”

  “You’re no man,” I make sure he knows this point, by putting my gun back into my pants. “You’re just a kid with some wild and grand delusions. That’s it. You want to be a gangster? Great. That’s fine by me. But don’t worship the life like it’s some sort of style. It’s a whole lot of death and risk for a chance at some money.”

  “It’s never been about the money, Hunter,” I wince when he says my name. “It’s about justice. Plain and simple.”

  “Well, alright then,” I smile wickedly. “You want to talk? Let’s talk. But don’t go thinking I’ll be listening intently to what you have to tell me. You’re still a little punk to me.”

  We walk to my makeshift, shithole of a home, and sit down. “Welcome.” I gesture to a bottle of red wine in the center of the broken down, open-air room. “Go ahead. Make yourself at home.”

  The kid’s probably thinking he’s made it into his first sit down, like he’s a regular old Al Capone or something. “Thanks,” he says, eying me cautiously. He takes a swig from the bottle and hands it to me. I do the same, as a friendly gesture.

  “So,” I sigh. “Go ahead. Say what you have to say. Give me the terms.”

  “I’m going to give it to you straight. My sister deserves better than to be strung along into this life,” he says. “She’s a nice girl, even if she does butt into my life a bit too much. I don’t want to see her heartbroken, or dead.”

  “I hear you,” I say. “But you have to understand something. She’s a grown woman. She can do whatever she wants. She can make her own decisions every now and then.”

  “You’re being irresponsible.” He shakes his head at me and taps his fingers wildly. Clearly, this issue affects the kid. “This is an innocent bystander we’re talking about here. She’s a woman too. You know what the code says about that.”

  “What’s your name?” I suddenly ask him.

  “Giovanni,” he says. “Giovanni Luciotti.” He says this with pride.

  “Giovanni, you’ve got this all wrong,” I say. “The code doesn’t say anything about being a woman. I’m not trying to kill her or anything. I just like being around her.”

  “Your actions will get her killed. No doubt about that. Ricky,” he sighs. “Ricky’s a tough asshole. He’s not exactly the most just person in the world either, if you get me.”

  “I know it more than anyone,” I tell him. “I’m the one under constant threat.”

  “Well there you go.” He runs his hands through his greasy hair. “Plus, there’s something weird with him. I think…” he hesitates for a moment before saying what he’s going to say. Most likely, he’s struggling with believing it. “I think he’s in love with her or something.”

  “Yeah, no shit,” I laugh. “That sick son of a bitch wants to fuck his cousin. It disgusts me.”

  “Hey, watch your mouth. That’s my sister we’re talking about.” He wipes his hands clean and takes another swig.

  “You think that’s normal?” I ask him. “It doesn’t make you feel weird that your cousin wants to marry your sister?”

  “It makes me feel weird, okay?” He nearly laughs, but it’s that angry kind of laugh, like he can’t figure out what emotion to rely on. The thought drives him crazy. I can tell. “It makes me angrier than all hell. But what am I supposed to do? Kill the guy? He’s my cousin and he’s the Don of the family. I’d be dead in an instant.”

  “You people and your loyalties,” I laugh. “Who gives a fuck? I thought you were a man. Stand up for what you think is right.”

  “It’s not that easy,” he sighs. “I don’t want to end up like you. I don’t want to die.”

  “Then get out. Now,” I say. “Get out while you can, dammit.”

  “I didn’t come to kill you or to aim a gun at you,” he says after some silent seconds. “I told you what I needed to say. I just hope you can honor that. Nevertheless, I won’t come after you. I won’t tell them where you are either, not that it was hard to find.”

  “Giovanni,” I bite my tongue. “I told Bianca I wouldn’t go after Ricky. I guess I have to respect her wishes, huh?”

  “If you love my sister, you’ll do what she says,” he tells it to me straight. “She’s someone who really likes honesty.”

  “I do love her,” I admit. Fuck. I do love her? Well, I guess I do. I would fight to the ends of the earth for her. Is that love? She gives me that feeling, and I’m not talking about that feeling that makes my cock jump. Although, she does that too. Shit, she gives me all the feelings and now I’m being told to stay away? “How the fuck am I supposed to leave that woman alone?”

  “They’ll get you one way or another,” he says. “You know it as much as I do
. Ricky’s got all those men at his disposal.”

  “Ricky doesn’t have shit,” I snap. “I killed all the heads of the other four families. I could bring down yours in a second.”

  “Ricky’s different,” he reasons. “He’s a loose cannon. He’s a paranoid son of a bitch too. For some reason, that’s always helped him in the long run.”

  “It can’t last forever,” I tell him, but I know he’s right. My luck has been good so far, but I’m getting tired and soft. It won’t be long before they track me down and throw me into my grave, just like they did with my parents. “Shit. Maybe you’re right.”

  “You know I’m right.” He stands up and faces me. Now he’s actually behaving like a man and I have a small ounce of respect for the guy. “Disappear. She’ll be gone in a few days anyway.”

  “Her heart will be broken,” I say, looking off into the distance. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want this at all.

  “She’s survived worse,” he says. “You were a fun summer fling. She’ll spend a few months crying and then you’ll be a fond memory she can look back on.”

  Just a fragment of a memory. That’s all I’ll ever be, isn’t it? Man, life gets heavy sometimes, doesn’t it? Everyone always told me love meant sacrifice. I just didn’t realize it meant giving up the chance to be with that person. If it means her being happy in the long term, I have to oblige.

  “Fine,” I whisper. “I’ll do it. Just give me a day or two. I need to see her one last time. I need to send myself off on a good note.”

  “That’s acceptable,” he says. “Just do it. Don’t be selfish. Think of Bianca.”

  “I always do,” I say.

  It’s not long before he leaves me to myself. He pats me on the back and suddenly, he’s gone. I walk through the streets and it’s an hour or two before I stop on a lonely corner and sit on the bench.

  “Got some change, mister?” a homeless man asks me, shaking a can slowly. He’s all wired up, protected from the night. I throw a hundred-dollar bill into the can and he steps away in shock.